Well it didn’t take us long to get to the bottom of the reason as to why Brammo will be racing at the AMA Mini Moto SX in Las Vegas this week, as we speculated the Ashland-based company has got dirt bikes on the mind, and today is launching its dirt/supermoto line of electric motorcycles. Debuting with the full-sized Brammo Engage MX & Supermoto, along with the Brammo Encite MMX mini moto, Brammo has a robust off-road offering to its name now.

Behind the new product launch is another big step in the electric motorcycle industry, as the Oregonian company is debuting its new Brammo Engage and Brammo Encite motorcycles with an Integrated Electronic Transmission (IET). Developed by Italian engineering firm S.M.R.E., the IET is basically a six-speed gearbox designed specifically for use on electric motorcycles, and should help lure current ICE rides to the dark side of electrification. With today’s news, we think someone just put Zero Motorcycles on notice.

The Italian firm has been developing this transmission technology on a mini moto and supermoto prototypes for over a year, and now those pre-production models appear to have become the basis Brammo Engage and Brammo Encite prototype motorcycles. S.M.R.E.’s Integrated Electric Transmission technology is being labelled as a mechatronic propulsion unit (whatever that really means), and mimics the feeling and performance of a traditional internal combustion engine and transmission. According to the company’s specs, the IET unit is capable of regenerative braking, which would be another first for the Ashland compan, and sought-after feature by enthusiasts.

S.M.R.E. in the past has touted its design as being able to reduce the need for larger batteries, as it keeps the electric motor in a more efficient state as speeds increase. Brammo is touting the electric motor and transmission as enabling the Brammo Engage and Brammo Encite to accelerate hard from the line and reach a high top speed, which the company says isn’t possible with a single-ratio electric motorcycle. Of course Brammo touts the single-ratio design as a feature on its Enertia sport bike, so which side of the coin the Oregon company is landing on could be debated. We’ll have to wait for a response from Mr. Brian Wismann, Director of Product Development at Brammo, for that explanation.

As we reserve our judgment about that debate until we get to swing a leg over an IET-enabled Engage or Encite, the technology is intriguing, and at the very least will appeal to current motorcyclists who are accustomed to shifting a motor, operating a clutch, and grinning ear-to-ear. For this reason alone, Brammo’s partnership with S.M.R.E. might be worth its weight in euros gold, as we’re slowly watching Brammo shift (pun intended) from novice/non-motorcycle buyers, to current motorcyclists as its target demographic. Interesting things all around, but there’s no word yet if the Integrated Electronic Transmission will make its way onto other Brammo products, like the Enertia and Empulse.

Brammo is taking pre-orders on its Engage and Encite motorcycles, though we haven’t gotten word on when they will be going into production and made available. The Oregonian company has hinted at an upcoming dealer network announcement, which is likely being helped by this latest news of a more complete and full motorcycle line-up. Pricing on the new Brammos is as follows:

Despite his best efforts, Jensen is called one of the most influential bloggers in the motorcycle industry, and sometimes consults for motorcycle companies, whether they've solicited his expertise or not.